Long handled pruning saws

Has anyone any experience of using these? Weight? Ease of use? Need to reduce the height of some fruit trees and finding it hard to reach from steps and not keen on ladders.
TIA

 

Hi Palustris. I have used two types of these The wolfgarten multi change and the darlac system. I now use the Darlac system myself and prefer it. I find the pole stronger and locks into place better and it can cut through thicker material. Also at full extension it is less prone to flexing. I have a saw and the large anvil lopper to give cleaner cuts. I have cut very large branches (8inches in diameter) from the ground at 4m extension.

With any system safety still is paramount, you must always keep a clear working area and know which way to run if the branch does not fall as planned.

It was great for felling some overgrown hazels and a large dead elder. Am about to use it for a more controlled prune on some mature apples.

They can be quite hard work on the arms when used at full extension, at 2/3m they are fairly easy to use.

 

Thanks. Both a bit pricey for me. Looks like the ladder up the tree is going to be the way I can manage. Will send my wife up with the loppers!

 

Yes at about £120 they are both an investment. So for one tree every few years they might not pay off. When I work on ladders I tend to use two with a board between.

Recently I spotted someone selling a scaffold tower on a local facebook group, cost me £30. It is heavy steel and not nice light weight aluminum. But for £30 I could afford it rather than the few hundred they cost new. Made reducing the height of a 25ft 7ft deep hedge much easier. So always worth checking on gumtree, local facebook groups (the scaffold tower was posted on a mums group which my wife is a member of, mostly kids items but quite a few other bits people want to sell off), freecycle etc because you can get some quite good second hand things come up.

 

As I already had a bargain purchase on a Wolfgarden extending handle + apple picking attachment, I also bought their pruning saw attachment when I found it at half price, see this link for what I have, but not bought at their price! Think I got both plus an additional attachment (hook for dragging cut branches down) all for less than £40.

Wolf Garten ZMV3 6 MC REM Pruning Saw and Telescopic Handle | eBay

I've successfully used that setup to remove branches of up to 100mm/4" diameter standing on stepladders reaching up to about 5m above ground.